Photo date help.

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Level 1

15 points

Photo date help.

Hello. I did do a search and found some info on this, but that info was a few years old so i thought id touch base again.

When i upload pics from my camera to i-photo the dates and times the pictures were taken is in the info of each pic. However, when i do as much as drag a photo out of iphoto and onto my desk top, that info is lost. I like to store my pics on a flash drive but when i export/resize the pics from iphoto into my pictures folder in "finder" and then move them to my flash drive, all the time data is gone. No way to save that time info with the pics, huh? If not is there a way to upload pics to my mac mini and bypass iphoto so i dont lose the time info? I really like being able to see the info for each pic and the last 5 batches of pics i had developed dont have the correct times. Thanks, O

Posted on Dec 14, 2013 6:12 PM

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Answer 1

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Dec 14, 2013 6:30 PM in response to zowenso

When i upload pics from my camera to i-photo the dates and times the pictures were taken is in the info of each pic.

OK

However, when i do as much as drag a photo out of iphoto and onto my desk top, that info is lost.

Probably not - althought exporting is a much better way to get photos out of iPhoto drag and drop does not lose the photos date - that is embeded in the EXIF data within the photo (changes made in iPhoto may not be maintained if you drag and drop - but will be if you export)

If not is there a way to upload pics to my mac mini and bypass iphoto so i dont lose the time info?

iPhoto is not at all required - you can use image capture (in your applications folder) to upload photos, you can use the finder to drag them to disk - you can set your preferences in the iPhoto preferences

However alghough you do not give much information I strongly suspect that you are simply confusing photo dates with file dates - two totally different things - Photo data inculding dates is store within the photo in EXIF and IPTC fields and is viewed using a photo program

Files on the other hand have their own set of data describing the file and this is viewed using a file program and the finder or Windows explorer --

SO as a wild guess I suspect you are expecting the file date to be the photos date - while there are programs that can do that (google is your friend - here is one that sounds like it might help - not tested or recommended - just found on Google - http://www.publicspace.net/ABetterFinderAttributes/) that is not the norm - the photo data is in the photo and viewed by photo programs - file programs view the file idata and the data of a file is when it was made - not when the data it holds was created - the photo taken in this case)

LN

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Answer 2

Yer_Man

Level 10

166,098 points

Dec 14, 2013 11:50 PM in response to zowenso

There are two kinds of metadata involved when you consider jpeg or other image file.

One is the file data. This is what the Finder shows. This tells you nothing about the contents of the file, just the File itself.

The problem with File metadata is that it can easily change as the file is moved from place to place or exported, e-mailed, uploaded etc.

Photographs have also got both Exif and IPTC metadata. The date and time that your camera snapped the Photograph is recorded in the Exif metadata. Regardless if what the file date says, this is the actual time recorded by the camera.

Photo applications like iPhoto, Aperture, Lightroom, Picasa, Photoshop etc get their date and time from the Exif metadata.

When you export from iPhoto to the Finder new file is created containing your Photo (and its Exif). The File date is - quite accurately - reported as the date of Export.

However, the Photo Date doesn't change.

The problem is that the Finder doesn't work with Exif.

So, your photo has the correct date, and so does the file, but they are different things. To sort on the Photo date you'll need to use a photo app.

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Answer 3

zowenso Author

Level 1

15 points

Dec 15, 2013 5:32 AM in response to zowenso

Thanks so much for the replies, people. I appreciate it.

So, after reding both replies i started to think i understood this problem. I figured that the picture date is in each jpeg, somewhere, but Finder doesnt work with this EXIF so the info just isnt displaying. I was thinking that even though i cant see the info here at home on my computer, that if i went to a place that would accept this EXIF, i would be able to see the info i desire. Yes/No?

So, just for the heck of it, i popped in an older flash with pictures from 2009 that were taken with my last digital camera (i have a new one now) and when i right clicked on a thumbnail of a photo, clicked "get info" it gave me the exact date the picture was created back in 2009. I checked several from that bacth of 2009 photos and every one had the date the photo was created back in 2009. How come those older pics gave me the info? Is it because that at the time i didnt have an apple computer and all the photos i uploaded from my camera went directly to my desktop and not through a photo program?

Mr. Delvin, you said "To sort the phtot date ill need to use a photo app" So just so i can be perfectly clear, although when i "get info" on a picture outside of I-photo and i dont see the date the photo was created, that info is STILL attached to each photo, somewhere?

Thanks so much for the help.

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